How to Get Thicker Hair for Men

by
STUART BIGGS Last Updated: Feb 18, 2015

Stuart Biggs

Stuart Biggs began writing in 2010 and specializes in health, beauty and lifestyle articles for various websites. Biggs graduated from Bournemouth University in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in scriptwriting for film and TV.

Thinning hair is a natural part of aging.Photo Credit diego cervo/iStock/Getty Images

Although gradual hair thinning is a natural part of the aging process, some men as young as their teens and early 20s experience male-pattern baldness or--androgenetic alopecia. For many men, hair loss is a source of great stress -- which seriously effects their self-esteem and general enjoyment. Luckily, there are some clinical and medicinal options available to the man who is determined to thicken his hair.

Step 1

Have your dermatologist prescribe Finastride to increase hair thickness. Finastride is effective for stopping hair loss and increasing hair thickness, because the drug blocks the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone, DHT. DHT is responsible for closing the hair follicles and causing hair loss.

Step 2

Buy Minoxidil to increase thickness. Also known as Rogaine, you can apply this over-the-counter medication to the scalp. Massage the medication into the scalp twice daily for 12 weeks to see positive results. Rogaine also prevents further hair loss and, in some cases, increases re-growth.

Step 3

Consult your doctor about corticosteroid injections for hair thickening. To thicken your hair, the injection is administered into the scalp and is repeated monthly. You can take corticosteroids topically or in pill form, but this treatment option is less effective than injections.

Step 4

Speak with a surgeon about hair transplant options to increase thickness. A strategy for more advanced cases of hair loss, hair transplants involve implantation of various type of grafts. These small sections of the scalp, known as plugs, are cut from areas at the back and sides of the head where hair growth is still strong and placed into any bald patches on the scalp.

Step 5

Consult a surgeon concerning hair thickening via scalp reduction. In scalp reduction, the surgeon removes bald patches of skin from the scalp and stretches the remaining scalp to fill the gap. A flap technique may also be used to fold areas of hair-covered scalp over an area of bald skin to replace missing hair.

Warnings

Finastride can cause loss of sex drive and sexual dysfunction in a small percentage of users.

Wash hands after taking the pill as it can be extremely harmful to women.

Minoxidil can cause skin irritation on the scalp.

Hair transplant surgery can be painful and scarring may develop in some cases.

Tips

A 5mg version of Finastride called Proscar is all available, but is often prescribed to men with prostate problems.

Minoxidil comes in 2 percent and 5 percent solutions.

Things You'll Need

Finastride pills

Minoxidil cream/foam

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